bad romance
by gormogon
Summary: a little ficlet I had in my head ever since the latest 'body' episode!Megan,Peter and Lacey feature!
1. Chapter 1

**Who's rattling Megan's cage?**

'Peter did you-Lacey what are you doing here?'

As always Megan's presence as she struts in nine inch heels -that would put skyscrapers to shame-down the hallway seems to cause a major clearance as Curtis and Ethan not so subtlety run in the opposite direction kind of like animals in the wild that sense a predator.

Megan:'shouldn't you be with your grandmother?'

Peter:'eh I found her pacing outside so I decide to bring her up'

Megan:'thank you Peter thank God it was you instead of some stranger-Lacey how many times have I lectured you about wandering around the city by yourself'

Lacey: 'but mom grandma was making me fill out tax forms'

At this Megan gives Lacey a give- me- more look while mentally interrogating her mother.

Lacey:'for my business class,it's all relevant,please don't kill grandma'

Megan: 'Lacey I'm not going to kill my own mother,I just don't want to come home and find you doing court reform papers,you know just because she is not a judge anymore doesn't mean it's not in her blood'

Now it was Lacey's turn to give her mom the embarrassed look,as in did you just say that in front of your partner?look.

Lacey: 'anyway when I started talking in numbers I needed to get out of there'

Megan: 'was that the important message you had to tell me?'

'mom no why would I come here to tell you that?'

'yes why would you risk your life to come here to tell me that hmm I wonder? ok come on lets go into my office and leave Peter here to do some work ,which is you know kind of what I should be doing right now Lace,oh and Peter can you drop off those tox reports as soon as you get them please, thank you'

Peter: 'sure and Megan' she huffs in impatience but turns towards him 'go easy on her will you,she's a good kid'

Megan answers him with a sarcastic grin and a 'sure,maybe I'll leave her drive home too' as a response.

Peter walks away laughing to himself giving a moment of thought for the poor victim Megan was about cut up.

Megan: 'ok we are here which is a miracle in your case'

Lacey: 'oh come on Mom this place is one bus ride-'

'while I'm still calm Lacey'

Lacey looks around the office stalling 'hey is that a new statue-

'Lacey stop stalling'

Lacey prepares herself for battle the kind that she has only read in the history books.

'ok well remember that time Gran and I said we would completely remove your myspace page'

'oh you mean the dull Megan Hunt that you and your Grandmother created?'

'yeah but also don't forget because of us you met a really nice guy'

'it could have gone a completely different way and you know it Lacey,because of you're meddling I could have met a really charming serial-Lace why are you wincing?'

'oh Mom I'm so sorry,I just didn't have the heart to-'

'Lacey please tell me you deleted that profile' Lacey bows her head in defeat.

'what?Lacey are you kidding me?'


	2. Chapter 2

Just as she says this in a fit of anger Ethan crouches as he passes her office to avoid detection but what he didn't count on was her standing up in her anger and catching him.

'Ethan'

'oh Dr Hunt I didn't notice you in there I dropped my pen and-'

'what did trace analysis find?'

Glaring at Lacey she adds 'and don't this is over young lady'

'oh hi again' Ethan addresses Lacey but is met with merely a scowl.

Both read the ipad like consultants around an operating table,

Ethan: 'the substance found on the victims shirt was acetylacylic acid,probably ground up since it appeared as powder on his shirt'

Megan: 'so he came into contact with or took an aspirin before he died,we'll see what the tox report says'

'eh bye again' at his second attempt Lacey sits stony faced and silent waiting for the oncoming storm.

'Mom listen I know it was a bad idea I didn't tell you partly because I knew you'd react like this and partly because I want you to have some friends,to be happy,I didn't want to shut out this new guy either so I kept the profile but I promise I didn't email him or anything'

Now moved by Lacey's sincere concern Megan moves to hug her.

'oh sweetie I am supposed to worry about you and run a background check on all of your friends' with a glare from Lacey she continues

'I'm joking obviously,I don't have those kind of resources-

'Mom'

'But seriously I dont want you to worry about me,you have enough problems at your age.I am fine believe me,I have a job I love,a child who is wiser than me sometimes and occasionally I go out with friends after work…well coworkers…but they qualify as friends to me'

while Meagan comforts Lacey she instantly thinks of Peter in this situation Peter would be great,he has three sisters after all and he was so good with her the time he many ways Peter was Megans comforter oh the irony,he is the only man that's tough with her and she appreciates it oddly enough,why is that?-

'ok then you wont be interested to know that a certain someone has emailed you to go on another date?'

'I'm sorry Lace I kind of zoned out,what did you say?'

'date,guy 3 days ago?'

'what Lace why didn't you tell me?' realising Lacey had sucked her in,Megan tried to feign ignorance.

'it doesn't matter because that my space page is coming down and you and I are spending some quality time together tonight'

'ooh I totally forgot to tell you I'm sleeping over at Pamela's tonight,a project for school,sorry mom'

'oh well then I guess Ill just do some paperwork'

'seriously mom….no look ill make you a deal,you go out on this date and ill take the my space page down'

'Lace that's blackmail and we are not dating'

'oh yeah well why where you smiling so much when you came home the last time'

It only now dawned on Megan how slack her social life was when her teenage daughter was organising her love life.

'ok it's a deal but its not a date'

Lacey: 'yeah right!'

Megan starts tickling Lacey in a true bonding moment when Peter interrupts

'ehh those reports came back' Peter smiled at Lacey and she smiled sheepishly had only been cursing him an hour before for selling her out to her mother but now she had to admit he was really kind to her and her mom and was just being responsible at the time.

'I see you've escaped unharmed' grinning at Megan for added emphasis Peter addressed Lacey.

'I'm pretty sure it was a draw'

Grabbing her bag she gets up from the sofa,sensing she has completed her mission.

'I called Pamela's mom she's coming to collect me and we can get my stuff on the way'

as she tries to squeeze past her mother and Peter she realises they are more compacted than usual,she doesn't do that with any of the others like move further apart as if they read Lacey's mind and share a weird look between each other,which fortunately Lacey doesn't catch.

'oh by the way Lace you get that mischievous side from me'

'don't forget your date mom, 8 o clock, la belle du jour restaurant ok?'

hmmm quite a bit of information from not emailing him back how did she know that then? la belle restaurant,quite expensive although the wine is truly exquisite like the vineyard is hidden in the restaurant somewhere….

'earth to Megan?'

'oh Peter sorry just…uh…worried about Lacey that's all'

'uh-huh I don't usually smile when I'm worried maybe when I'm daydreaming like a teenager'

'please Peter I wasn't smiling…..was I ?'

'like a person that has a date tonight I assume?'

'so the victim did take an aspirin right before he died but his liver damage was so severe he would have died within a matter of hours'

'ok I get it…. you're really into this guy…if you don't want to talk about it that's fine'

'could the victim have been given the aspirin crushed in some water?'

'no one knew he had the liver condition… what makes you think I'm into him?'

'ok well avoiding the topic completely suggests you want to keep him private and all to yourself'

'oh please Peter this isn't love at first sight I have gone out with this guy once..if you want to share then fine but it's a two way street Peter,you never talk about Dani'

'for the same reason Megan,she's special to me'

'yes but I didn't ask in the first place, I don't go around poking and prodding at other peoples lives.I didn't enquire about your love life so I'd appreciate you not asking about mine now (deep breath) the victim,I need to examine him again he could have been forced to swallow the tablet or worse case scenario he killed himself'

Snatching gloves from the silver table Megan focused on the work and not her irritation with Peter.

Peter stalked off to the canteen to find Dani and grab some lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three: thank you to anyone who is reading my story you know who you are I am honoured and indebted to you'**

Exasperated and grubby from working all day Meagn was at the height of agitation.

Megan: 'so I have found no evidence of murder except for gunshot residue on the hands but it is the middle of hunting season so we'll do a ballsitics search and try to find a match to his domestic weapon'

Peter:'His tox results show he had a high amount of alcohol in his system and he took some aspirin which would contribute to his liver failure.'

Megan: 'what would push a man to do this to himself?'

Peter: 'Bud said his financials weren't the best due to a restructuring of the company where he worked at the start of the economic downturn,his hours were cut way back-

Megan: 'and he probably made withdrawals to pay for his liver treatment -

Peter: 'that studio apartment will go into repossession,his wife claimed she didn't know anything about financial trouble or the liver damage'

Megan: 'they were married for twelve years why didn't he just tell her and how could she not see he was a little bit peaky?'

Peter: 'who knows maybe he shut her out after his hours were reduced,by not confiding in his wife he was able to ignore the reality,even though the secret ate away at him,people do that'

Giving a deep and meaningful look at Megan while saying this,Peter inadvertantly woke the sleeping dog.

Megan: 'let it go Peter'

Ethan looks on oblivious to whats taking place concentrating on sterilising agar petri dishes.

Megan: 'I'm going to rule it as a suicide,the facts seem to back it poor man, the rigidness of his vertebrae in his lower back suggest hard labour in the earlier years of his life possibly a builder and a faint scar running all the way down his right fibula is a memory of the crash that caused his liver damage in the first place'

'If only his wife had known she could have helped him in some way obviously she didn't know him that well -

'ok Peter that's it,I need to speak with you outside once I have sown the v section'

A half an hour later,Pete catches up to Megan at the elevator

'you needed to speak to me'

'yes get in'

'but im not-

'Peter im not going to make this easy for you now get in,I mean it'

'yes ma'am'

'your very authorative do you know that Megan,is that one of the things he likes about you?'

'that's enough of the snide remarks Peter what is your problem with this anyway,I have a scial life and suddenly its not suitable enough for you'

Until this moment Peter didn't wan to face the truth because he promised he wuldn't hurt Danni he was pretending to be happy all along,as Megan keeps ranting Peter thinks about his behaviour,why do I care so much?

Is it because you are her protective partner and confidante or is it because…oh come on isnt it obvious?

the subliminal mind and unconscious mind is more insightful than the conscious

Picking up from his last thought he blurts out

'because he's not suitable enough for you'

'excuse me, Peter what is wrong with you?'

'actually I think Ive never been more right Megan'

pressing the stop button of the elevator,Peter passionately kisses Megan and like two opposite poles of a magnet attracting each other electrodes shoot through both like all great things that only last a minute or two,the kiss broke while Megan panted 'ow Peter im sorry but that bar was sticking into my side'

as their own clumsiness caught them out again they both laughed while inspecting the bar'

Megan started the elevator again.

the doors open to a new reality and a tectonic shift in their relationship as Megan has to get the last word,

'I told you Peter we've always had a thing…


End file.
